Spiritual Exercises – Balance

by brigitte
Option A) A Reminder to Centre
Sometimes balance is as simple as remembering to take a moment to breathe. The problem is we’re not so good at reminding ourselves and remembering on our own.
In recognition of this, take a week this month and commit to the practice of a “daily pause” – or maybe a few daily pauses. You can keep it simple by setting an alarm on your phone reminding you to take a break. Or you can use one of the recommended apps below to help remind and guide you. You’ll also need to decide what to do during your daily pauses. Some of us will step away and go for a walk or find a quiet place to be by ourselves. Others will keep it short and sweet, staying put and just taking 5 deep breaths. Still more will use the time for brief meditation. Figure out what works for you.
Here are some apps that might help:
- PauseAble: http://www.pauseable.com
- AURA: https://www.aurahealth.io
- Breathe: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/breathe-daily-breathing-reminders/id976954751?ls=1&mt=8
- The Now: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-now-mindful-living/id347667121?mt=8
- 7 Second Meditation: http://www.7secondmeditation.com
Come to your group ready to share how it went.
Did daily pauses make a difference? Did you have to readjust your strategy because your first plan wasn’t cutting it? What exactly helped you re-balance? Deep breathing? Remembering gratitude? Silence? Self-talk?
Option B) Put Down Their Work & Pick Up Your Balance
Often our imbalance is our own doing. Frequently, we just take on too much. But sometimes it’s not that simple. Sometimes, our imbalance is about us taking on too much that is not really ours to do or fix. In other words, it’s often accepting responsibility for other people’s weight and worry that tips us over. Or as organizational consultant, Betsy Jacobson, puts it, “Balance is not better time-management, but better boundary-management.”
So this exercise invites us to regain our balance by letting go of that which is not ours. The instructions are as simple as they are challenging:
Identify one way in which you are taking on something that is not really your responsibility. Then find a kind way to put up a boundary and give their “work” back to them.
Here’s a short reflection by Rev. Meg Barnhouse to give you some motivation: Sorry, Hon, Not My Table
Come to your group ready to share what you “gave back,” how you put up that boundary and how it gave you back a bit of balance. There will likely be some bumps in the road and some costs. Come ready to share those too, and what it taught you.
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